Facebook Jumps Into Fantasy Sports Prediction Games

In the past Facebook has ventured into the casino games space by allowing free to play games like blackjack, poker and even slots on its platform. With the massive appeal of daily fantasy sports games, it should come as no surprise that their latest app is aimed at just that audience.

Earlier this month Daniel Fletcher, Entertainment Product Manager for Facebook announced:

“Facebook Fantasy Games are free, simple prediction games that help fans enjoy sports, TV shows and pop culture content together. These games bring the social fun of traditional fantasy sports to simpler formats that are easy to play for people new to prediction games, while still engaging enough for more seasoned players.”

The newly minted Facebook Fantasy Games app has been optimised for play on both iOS and Android devices.

 Place Free Sports Picks Today

Fans of daily sports prediction games in the United States and Canada are already able to load up Facebook's offering, Pick & Play Sports. The sports title is part of a joint venture with global sports and entertainment company Team Whistle.

The app features sports that are popular with their North American target audience, like the National Hockey League (NHL) and uses the Team Whistle API to deliver stats and results for sporting events as they unfold.

Fans can then pit their team knowledge and blind luck against their Facebook friends and other users in placing free-to-play predictions on live sports. The winners won’t take home any money but have the chance to climb the ranks of the leader boards for those events.

Facebook have proven over time that their users love leader boards. Who needs win a progressive jackpot when you get to flex your skills by holding the top spot on a friend-filled leader board?

More To This Game Than Sports

While Pick & Play Sports is the first game that the company launched on the Facebook Fantasy Games app, they have already announced several titles that will include new high profile leagues and expand to include pop culture focused predictions.

According to the official press release fans can soon be enjoying the following:

• Fantasy Entertainment: “The Bachelorette,” which lets fans select from among the group of men trying to win the heart of The Bachelorette star Michelle Young and answer a series of questions, receiving points based on actions and events during the reality TV show.
• Fantasy Survivor: Speaking of reality TV, fans will choose castaways to be on their teams and answer questions about upcoming episodes of Survivor, receiving points based on the events that unfold.
• LaLiga Winning Streak: For each slate of games during the LaLiga Santander soccer season, fans will predict a single team that will win on that day to build the longest winning streak without selecting the same club twice.
• MLB Home Run Picks: Fans can pick the teams that they believe will hit the most home runs during each day of Major League Baseball’s postseason, tallying points for correct predictions, grand slams, and late-game clouts.

One of the best player-first features of these prediction games is that Facebook have included the option for users to create their own leagues. This will allow companies, clubs and even families to start their own private (or public) prediction games with its own leaderboards waiting to be conquered.